Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to an edible film composition generally used to apply a flavoring additive to a food item, for example by using the flavored, edible film as a food casing. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an edible film including a carboxymethyl cellulose film-forming resin, a plasticizer, a surfactant, and a tackifier.
Brief Description of Related Technology
Edible films can be used in the food industries to impart a flavoring additive to a food item. The films can be formulated to at least partially disintegrate upon application to a food item to rapidly (e.g., on the order of seconds to minutes) impart the flavoring additive to the food item. Examples of rapidly disintegrating films include films based on hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, and polyvinylpyrrolidone.
Flavoring additives that require an extended contact time to impart a desired flavor to a food item can be applied using collagen. A food item is dipped in a collagen bath and a flavoring additive is adhered to the food item using the collagen. However, after the food item has been sufficiently aged (e.g., for about 2-3 weeks), the collagen must be removed from the food item prior to consumption. The collagen removal process is generally a time-consuming, labor-intensive process.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to obtain a film that can be used to impart a desired flavor to a food item over an extended period, which film also avoids the disadvantage of a time-consuming process to remove the film prior to consumption of the food item.